FRANKFORT, Ind. — Clinton County’s annual celebration of Latin American heritage returns Saturday, Sept. 19, as the Raíces Festival takes over Prairie Creek Park, 260 E. Washington St., from 4 to 10:30 p.m., with a kickoff parade starting downtown at 3 p.m.
Esmeralda Cruz, community engagement specialist with Purdue Extension, previewed this year’s festival for local leaders at the Frankfort Rotary Club, walking through the event’s history, this year’s theme and everything new on tap for 2026.
Seven Years of Roots
Raíces — Spanish for “roots” — launched officially in 2019 after Cruz and other organizers moved away from an earlier, smaller Hispanic heritage festival. The name was chosen deliberately, Cruz said, to invite everyone in regardless of background.
“It doesn’t matter if your roots come from Latin America, Europe, wherever it is, Asia, Africa, but we wanted to make sure that people understood that this was a festival that was being created with everybody in mind,” Cruz said.
She said one of the festival’s biggest points of pride is that it’s officially led by the city of Frankfort, co-chaired by the city and Purdue Extension. Supporting partners include Frankfort’s Crash Club, a high school service club sending about 90 volunteer students this year, along with Frankfort Parks, Cuego Frío, Tornado Roofing, and other local sponsors that help fund the event.
The event has grown quickly behind the scenes, too. Cruz said the planning committee was about six people in its early years, ballooned to 19 last year, and sits around 17 for 2026. Total volunteer turnout for festival day is expected to reach about 130 people, most of them area high schoolers.
This Year’s Theme: Las Posadas, Light and Hope
Every year’s festival is built around a different theme, and 2026’s is “Las Posadas, Luz y Esperanza” — Light and Hope. The theme draws on the Latin American tradition of Las Posadas, celebrated Dec. 16–24, which reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem over nine nights.
“We understand that we all kind of share different religious values, but that is a part of the process,” Cruz said, noting the theme was chosen back in February — well before this year’s national conversation around immigration intensified. “We thought, even though this theme wasn’t chosen for that reason, because it really wasn’t, it kind of adds to this timely conversation.”
In keeping with the theme, festival food demonstrations this year will feature ponche, a warm beverage made from guava, sugar cane, hibiscus (jamaica), tamarind, pineapple and apple, and organizers will hand out small gift bags called aguinaldos to children — a nod to the “ofrenda” giveaways traditionally offered during Las Posadas celebrations.
Schedule of Events
• 3 p.m. — Parade lineup near Goodwin Funeral Home, running up Jackson to Washington to Jackson and then ending on Clinton Street street off the Square. The Frankfort High School Band will march in the parade.
• 4 p.m. — Opening flag salute. The festival begins with the U.S. flag and national anthem, followed by 19 additional national flags carried in alphabetical order by local children in grades 2–12, each accompanied by 20 seconds of that country’s anthem. Frankfort’s mayor delivers a welcome once the final flag is presented.
• Throughout the evening — Folklore dance performances (Frankfort regularly hosts Los Mosaicos, a folklore dance group from Indianapolis), live music, food demonstrations, contests and vendors.
• ~6:45 p.m. — Pupusa eating contest on the small stage.
• 10:30 p.m. — Festival wraps up with “El Grito Mexicano,” a traditional flag-waving ceremony tied to Mexican Independence Day.
Organizers are also planning to unveil a new permanent art piece at the park this year, though Cruz said the timing wasn’t finalized as of her presentation.
Contests and Community Programs
The festival’s contest lineup gives residents of all ages a way to take part:
• Art and Mini Model contests — Open to middle and high school students across all four Clinton County schools. This year’s mini model theme is a lantern, tying into the “light and hope” theme. Entries are due Sept. 9.
• Essay contest — Already closed, with 36 submissions this year, including the first-ever entries from Rossville students, alongside entries from Frankfort High School and Clinton Prairie.
• Talent show — New for 2026. Preliminary rounds will run on the small stage, with the top three acts advancing to a grand finale performance on the main stage that evening.
• Tamalazo (tamale) contest — Last year drew 12 entrants and was judged by public blind taste-test; this year’s contest switches to a judged tasting after some complications with the public format last November. The deadline is expected to fall around Sept. 11-13.
• Pupusa eating contest — Sponsored by Juanita’s restaurant downtown, no pre-registration required. First place wins $250 and second place $100, down from last year’s $500 top prize.
• Miss Raíces — Launched last year and open to participants of any background. Contestants raise festival funds by selling $1 raffle tickets; last year’s court raised $2,600, and this year’s eight contestants have already topped $3,000.
Food, Vendors and Family Activities
Festival food demonstrations have covered dishes from across Latin America over the years, including tortillas, salsas, mole, 3D jellos, aguas frescas and, last year, a Nicaraguan tamale demonstration. Organizers try to feature at least two demonstrations tied to the year’s theme.
Vendor space is tight this year — organizers were down to just six open spots as of a recent planning meeting and are working to expand capacity. Anyone interested in a vendor booth can find the application through the city of Frankfort’s website.
Kids’ activities will include a tortilla-making craft led by Las Primas Tortillería, a local small business, plus face painting, bouncy houses and costumed characters.
A Message About Heritage and Community
Beyond the schedule of events, Cruz used part of her presentation to address what she called a common misconception — that celebrating a community’s cultural heritage somehow competes with love of country or community unity.
“Heritage and gratitude aren’t opposites. They’re roots that feed the same tree,” Cruz said. “Honoring where you come from doesn’t diminish your commitment to where you are. It deepens it.”
Cruz, who has served as a health and human sciences educator and now community engagement specialist for Purdue Extension for nine years, said the festival gives many local families — and their children — one of the only times each year to see their culture publicly celebrated.
“When we make room for one culture to be visible and celebrated, we’re not taking anything away from anyone,” she said. “We’re actually modeling what we want this whole community to look like.”
Admission and parking for the Raíces Festival are free. More information, including the vendor and parade forms, is available through the city of Frankfort’s website (frankfort-in.gov).